Hexetera

Introduction

Hexetera is a game played in a board of 44 hexagonal cells.
There are two marked zones of 9 cells each in the game, the Fortresses. Kings
are confined to their own Fortress, as in Xiang-Qi. A King can´t SEE the other
King, i.e., they can never be on the same vertical line if there are no pieces
between, also as in Xiang-Qi. The pieces in this game are: King, Pawn (special
movements), Rook (limited movements), Flyer-Elephant, Man and Guardian.

Kings and Guardians are cannibal pieces, they can take friendly
pieces, and, of course, enemy pieces too. A Rook, A Flyer-Elephant, a Guardian
or a Man can take any enemy piece, EXCEPT ANOTHER OF THE SAME TYPE. This is the
most characteristic rule of HEXETERA: in this game, Rooks are immune to enemy
Rooks, Flyer-Elephants to enemy Flyer-Elephants, a Man to an enemy Man and
Guardians to enemy Guardians, but Pawns can take enemy Pawns.

A Pawn can promote to Rook, Guardian or Flyer-Elephant when it
reaches the enemy Fortress. There is no castling or en-passant capture.

The object of the game is to checkmate the enemy King, but you can also win the
game if your enemy is stalemated.

Movement and General Rules

In Hexetera, a piece can´t capture or be captured by a
piece of the same type. Rooks are immune to Rooks, Guardians to Guardians,
Flyer-Elephants to Flyer-Elephants, and a Man can´t capture or be
captured by an enemy Man. The King and the Guardians are cannibal pieces; they
can take friendly pieces. This capability can be used, eventually, for attack or defense
purposes. Strategy and tactics are different than in other known Chess variants,
but they are really nice. The game has some elements of Xiang-Qi: a King is
confined to its own Fortress; it can´t leave it, and, as in Xiang-Qi, a King
can´t be in line with the other King if there are no pieces between them in the
same line. The Pawn and the Man are short-range pieces, and Rooks, Guardians and
Flyer-Elephants are medium-range pieces in this game.

Board and Set Up

The Board has 44 hexagonal cells. There are two marked zones,
the FORTRESSES. The white pieces that you can see on the lower cells are:
Guardian, Flyer-Elephant, Rook, King, Rook, Flyer-Elephant and Guardian. In the
next cells above, there are seven Pawns, and the next piece above is a Man, and
next to it there is another Man .

Pieces

P

Pawn: The Pawn moves in the three forward directions, but it
captures any enemy piece edge-diagonally forward. It promotes to Rook,
Flyer-Elephant or Guardian on hex cells of the enemy Fortress.

M

Man: The Man can moves and captures one step orthogonally forward
or one step in any of the three backward directions, to a cell
edge-adjacent. A Man can´t capture an enemy Man.

G

Guardian: A Guardian can move and capture moving one step to any
of the six adjacent cells, like the King, or leaping exactly two steps
diagonally or horizontally following a path over cells of the same color,
and in this movement it can leap any piece on the first cell in that
direction. Guardians can take friendly pieces. It captures any piece
on the cell it is moving to. A Guardian can´t capture an enemy Guardian.

FE

Flyer-Elephant: It moves and captures with one step
movement forward or backward, or to a cell adjacent in the two
edge-diagonal forward directions. It is also a LEAPER: it can leap two
squares in the same diagonal forward directions, or two squares forward or
backward. A Flyer-Elephant can take any enemy piece, except another
Flyer-Elephant. In this game, Flyer-Elephants are immune to
Flyer-Elephants.

R

Rook: The Rook slides in straight line up to three hexes through
the sides. Rooks are immune to Rooks.

K

King: The King is the Royal Piece. It moves one cell through
a side or corner to a safe position, adjacent cells or nearest cells of
the same color.

It can move only to cells of its Fortress. It can´t
move to a cell that is in vertical line with the other King if there are
not pieces between.

A King can take friendly pieces too.

How to win:

Win condition: checkmate the opposite King, but you can also
win the game if the other player is stalemated.

Playing Tips

Strategy and tactics are different than in other known chess
variants, due the rule that pieces are immune to enemy pieces of the same type.
Sacrifices may be common in the middle and end games. It is very dangerous
to leave your King alone. If you do it, evaluate well the risks. Your King can be
used against the other King as in Xiang-Qi, because Kings can´t be in line in
this game if there are no pieces between them. The cannibalism of Kings is used in
some defensive moves. Cannibalism of Guardians can be used eventually for attack
purposes. The average number of moves to finish a good game of HEXETERA can be around 40-70 moves.

Computer Play

You can play HEXETERA if you have installed on your computer
a registered version of ZILLIONS OF GAMES. You can download the HEXETERA ZRF,
graphics, and game example at the link below. (Author: Roberto Lavieri).